Psoriasis and Obesity

This last Christmas break our family decided to put new batteries into the Wii Balance Board (what you stand on to weigh-in and play Wii Fit) so we could play it once again. If you’ve ever used a Wii Fit, you know the program starts each time by weighing you. It calculates your weight, and together with your height, gives you a BMI (body mass index) score. Then it lets you set a goal — the amount of weight you want to lose in whatever length of time you enter. Each time you start it up you can weigh in to check your progress. I decided not to bypass the weigh-in, curious about how my weight changed over a year’s time. Turns out I weighed exactly the same! I breathed a sigh of relief. It’s a lot harder to maintain my weight as I turn forty than it was in years past.

In high school, I ran cross country and long distance track events so I kept quite slender. In the years after graduation I continued to run and exercise. So when researchers and medical professionals talk about the high percentage of those who suffer with psoriasis and obesity, I usually ignored them. However, I decided to look into the issue of obesity as it affects many of my fellow psoriatics and may affect me later in life as I settle into a more sedentary lifestyle (i.e., couch and chair potato in front of a screen!).

You can use the Everyday Health BMI calculator to check if your weight is in the normal range or not. It calculates a ratio of your weight to your height. A person my height, 5 foot 10 inches, should weigh between 132 and 167 pounds (or BMI 18.5 to 25) to maintain a normal BMI. I am around BMI 22-23, so I’m okay. In high school I was probably about BMI 19, so these past 20 years I’ve gained maybe 20-25 pounds.

How much weight people with psoriasis have gained since turning eighteen actually helped researchers understand whether psoriasis causes obesity or vice versa. It’s pretty well established that the two are linked, but how? According to one study, most psoriasis patients had healthy BMI’s at age 18 or when psoriasis first appeared, but 71% became overweight or obese AFTER turning 18 or acquiring psoriasis. They concluded that obesity comes as a consequence of having psoriasis.

I kept digging around the Internet and found out that researchers discovered those with psoriasis have higher levels of the protein leptin which “fat cells produce. . [and] helps control food intake, body weight, and fat stories, and has been linked to immune and inflammatory responses”. Here’s the takeaway from their study:

The authors hypothesize that the elevated leptin levels may have more than one source: “Body weight loss has been reported to significantly decrease leptin levels and improve insulin sensitivity and may reduce the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome and adverse cardiovascular diseases,” they write. “Body weight loss could potentially become part of the general treatment of psoriasis, especially in patients with obesity.

Looks like those of us with psoriasis have a tendency toward weight gain, and that weight gain can bring on other health complications. The hard part, I feel, is that psoriasis can bring about low self-image, low emotional states (depression), and a sense of hopelessness. When I feel any combination of these three, I EAT, EAT, EAT. Eating for me soothes jangled nerves and brings comfort. Some might also drink, drink, drink to dull the pain. Neither appears to be a good way to manage the inevitable physical and emotional pain that psoriasis brings on. And who wants to exercise when you’ve got a bag of chips and a movie to watch? More and more news shows that psoriasis sufferers definitely have more than a skin rash to contend with.

Have you struggled with keeping the weight off since turning 18 or the onset of psoriasis? What have you tried to manage your weight?

Get the latest health updates

Thanks for signing up!

Oops!

A system error was encountered. Please try again later.

Follow us on your favorite social network!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Howard Chang

Rev. Howard Chang has lived with severe psoriasis and eczema for more than 35 years, since childhood. In addition to actively blogging and tweeting about skin-related concerns, he volunteers for the National...read more